


Tales from Magnolia University

by jinhyukks



Category: Fairy Tail
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Angst, Basically just Fairy Tail characters in a college setting, Comedy, Drinking, Drugs, F/F, F/M, Fluff, Humor, I can't really think of anymore tags but if I do I'll add them, M/M, Other, Sexual Content, Smut
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-08-08
Updated: 2016-08-08
Packaged: 2018-08-07 10:27:30
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,790
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7711471
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jinhyukks/pseuds/jinhyukks
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Magnolia University is a wonderful college filled with many opportunities for students to learn. It also will prepare them for their future dream jobs and how to survive the world outside the walls of the school environment. </p><p>Unless you're Natsu Dragneel and his crazy group of friends who host wild parties, drink and do drugs, sleep around and sleep in class, play outrageous pranks on one another, and try to figure out what the meaning of their life really is. These are the true tales of the students from Magnolia University. College really is the greatest years of your life.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Tales from Magnolia University

**Author's Note:**

> Hello, this is my Fairy Tail college au fic. I am very excited for this and have many plans. It is going to be a chaptered fic but I'm not sure how long it will be and I'm not too worried about it. It'll be fun and I hope you'll be along side me for the ride! There are going to be all kinds of relationships, heartbreaks, drug use, alcohol abuse, vulgar language, fights, pranks, sex, gossip, and stress filled coffee abuse. The chapters will each have a different character's point of view, but the timeline will always be chronological.
> 
> I have a [tumblr](http://thekyungillest.tumblr.com) if you'd like to follow or chat. If you want updates on this story and my writing (and my frequent ramblings) I also have a [twitter](https://twitter.com/thekyungillest)! Okay, enough talking! Let's get on with the fic. Hope you enjoy!

Natsu Dragneel didn't always go to class but when he did it was because his alarm clock managed to actually wake him before his temper flared and he threw the damn thing to the floor. As much as he detested getting up early, he was sort of glad it woke up him today. He was wasting tons of money buying new alarm clocks almost every week. It was becoming a pain. 

Never again would Natsu let someone convince him to take a 7:00 am class. As he was trudging across campus with his hands stuffed into his coat pockets and his breath making little puffs in the crisp morning air, he made a vow to himself to never wake up this early once this semester was over. Seriously, why had he let Lucy practically beg him to take this stupid modern literature class with her so early in the damn morning? He didn't like reading, much less belong in an English class. Well, he had to take a few English classes since the university required it of all students. Lucy had been sure to put that little fact within her argument when she tried and succeeded in getting him to join the dark side. 

"It'll knock out one of your English class requirements and you'll spend the whole two hours with a friend. It won't be that bad!" Her voice rang in his head and he growled, wanting to punch a wall. Nothing irritated him more than stumbling, barely making it out of his bed, and in the hallway of his shared apartment just to hear Gajeel snoring happily in the next room over. If his hand hadn't been forced to take this stupid class at ass-crack o'clock that would be him still happily lost in dreamland. 

But no. Instead, he was sitting beside Lucy in this class with six other unlucky bastards who looked like they had already checked out and were lost either to sleep or shaking with the early morning effects of too much coffee. Seriously, Natsu didn't think it was healthy for some of those people to be shaking as much as they were but hey, if it got them through the semester with a passing grade then more power to them.

The professor entered the class with a bright smile and Natsu inwardly groaned. The worst thing about this class wasn't the fact that it was at seven in the morning, it was that this teacher played recordings of the book experts in class like it was high school or something. It was if this professor enjoyed torturing his students. He had to know that listening the stories via a dull, monotone voice instead of just having a class discussion about them was going to make more people fall asleep. Hm, maybe that was his way of weeding out the weak. 

Lucy sat beside Natsu grimacing at his sleeping form. Even for him, this was a new record for how quickly he had passed out. She didn't see how everyone found this class all that boring. She rather enjoyed it and the story they were listening to today was quite interesting. When Natsu began snoring, an embarrassed flush spread on her cheeks and she dug two of her fingers sharply into his side. He whimpered, but didn't wake up. At least his snores had stopped. 

Lucy Heartfilia had a huge and rather annoying (to herself) crush on the pink-haired slacker. It had started around first semester of freshman year and had followed her all the way until now, first semester of sophomore year. The thing that irritated her the most was how utterly oblivious Natsu was about it. All of their friends could easily tell how she felt about him and often teased her for it, but even if they blatantly stated it to Natsu's face he would brush it off with a "no way!" or get distracted by something else and run off before he gave them an answer.

Lucy's fondness for Natsu wasn't the reason she had begged him to take this class with her. In fact, she had asked everyone instead of Natsu at first. She really wanted a friend who was also into literature like Levy or Freed to be here with her that way they could discuss the stories together with genuine interest, but both of them had already signed up for much later in the day literature classes and they didn't really like the idea of waking up so early. Lucy didn't either, but she had waited to late to sign up for classes and this particular one that she needed was only opened at this time. Thus, when her several attempts at finding someone else to share this with her had all failed, she turned to Natsu. Honestly, she was surprised when he had finally agreed to join her for such an early morning lesson, but she should have known it would end with him sleeping every day. Oh well, whatever. At least she wasn't alone. 

Natsu was woken and he grumbled, unhappy about someone disturbing his slumber. His eyes blinked opened to see Lucy staring down at him with an exasperated expression on her face. "Natsu, class is over." He gazed at her, pouting. His eyes silently screamed "just five more minutes please?" 

Lucy sighed, shaking her head and her blonde hair swayed from side to side. "Nope, come on. We have to go meet the others for lunch." Natsu shot up for that, as she knew he would. Nothing got this man moving like the promise of food. They made their way out of the English department and down the sidewalk towards the dining hall. The sun had found its way out from behind the early morning fall clouds and was shining brightly, bringing life and warmth to the world. Natsu stretched his arms happily above his head, obviously basking in the sunlight. It was now nine in the morning and some of their other friends met up with them on Tuesdays and Thursdays to all have lunch together. It was nice to have time to hang out with everyone before the school day seriously began. Well, for some people it hadn't even started yet. Lucy knew Natsu wished he was one of those people. 

When they arrived at the dining hall and scanned their student IDs to get in, they found their friends at a large table in the very back of the building. The dining hall was made up of several food stations that served all different types of cuisine depending on which one you went to. Lucy personally liked the noodle station and all their variations of noodles and sauces, but she was feeling like today was a hamburger type of day. She was going to need the extra energy and fat to make it through her lessons. 

"Hey guys!" Natsu grinned as he rushed over to the table already crowded with their friends stuffing their faces. Today they were joined by Gajeel (which Natsu was surprised he actually made it out of bed), Levy (who looked as if she was about to pass out onto Gajeel's shoulder), Sting, and Rogue. The latter two seemed perfectly awake, although Sting did seem slightly irritated as he munched angrily at his food. They were all dressed in rather warm winter clothes, except for Rogue who just wore a brown cloak even though they had told him over and over again that nobody wears those anymore and he was just going to embarrass himself, but Rogue was stubborn and continued to wear them anyways to his friends chagrin. 

"How was your English class from hell?" Gajeel asked with a smirk, eyeing the two who both sat down with a loud huff. 

"I hate it!" Natsu cried, throwing his hands up dramatically. He then shot a glare to Lucy, fire in his eyes. "I'm never letting you talk me into taking a class ever again." 

Rogue chuckled softly at that as he slid over a cup of black coffee towards Levy. The blue-haired girl nodded thankfully, taking and sipping from it eagerly. Gajeel watched her closely, making sure that, in her tired state, she didn't drop the damn thing all over his thigh. Natsu grinned, then left the others sitting there as he went off to get his meal. Lucy followed soon after. 

Natsu had to make three trips from the table and back to actually pile all the food he wanted to eat in one place. None of his friends even spared him a second glance when he came back with four places full to the brim with all sorts of things like burgers, pizza, a bowl of noodles, a salad, hot dogs, french fries, mashed potatoes, corn on the cob, an orange, bread sticks, macaroni and cheese, and two tacos. Honestly, how the cafeteria didn't go mad when they saw Natsu coming was beyond all of them. 

"There's apparently going to be a really good free lecture tomorrow in the auditorium about the subject of different cultures' religions and if there really is a God," Lucy began, excitement buzzing about her as she spoke. "If any of you wanted to go, we could go together." All four males looked at Lucy with blank, "are you kidding me right now" expressions, but Levy lazily raised her hand, signalling that she would go. You wouldn't get any actual words out of the short, blue-haired woman this early in the morning so they had all learned to understand what her hand gestures and grunts actually meant. 

Rogue and Sting watched in horrified interest as Natsu resumed scarfing down his food. It was kind of frightening how much the pink-haired male could pack away, and even though they had seen this very scene so many times before it didn't make it any less terrifying. Lucy ignored all three of them and instead, popped a french fry into her mouth and directed her words at Levy, "are you ready to leave soon?"

Levy glanced down at the blonde's plate, then up to Lucy and then titled her head in confusion as if to say, "you aren't going to finish eating?"

Lucy shook her head, staring down at her own half eaten burger and picked at fries. It just wasn't resonating with her for some reason. Levy nodded, as if she understood without an explanation and both of the girls stood at the same time, gathering their belongings. Before they actually left though, Natsu was headed back to the cafeteria stalls for even more food. 

"Where does he possibly put it all away?" Lucy sighed as she watched Natsu practically pry a plate of fresh onion rings from a distressed looking chef.

"You had better get used to it," Sting commented, a smirk on his face. "That's how much you're gonna have to cook for him when the two of you get married." 

Red flooded Lucy's cheeks in an instant and she spun around, waving her hands in denial. "Hey! I may like the idiot but that doesn't mean I want to marry him."

Gajeel snorted obnoxiously and once all attention was on him he said, "Don't lie. Levy told us about the wedding magazines you look through in your free time. You practically gush to her about which tuxes would look the best on Natsu." 

Lucy turned, shooting her supposed "best friend" a harsh glare as everyone else around them laughed. 

Natsu returned to their table with even more food than he had the first time around. He picked up his backpack, setting it on the chair. "What are you..." Lucy began but stopped when she saw Natsu pull out two plastic containers and she groaned loudly. 

"You know it's against the rules to take food out of the dining hall," Sting stated.

"So what blondie?" Natsu shot back, glaring at the other, "unless you're gonna help keep your mouth shut!" 

"Actually," Sting interjected, rounding the table to stand by the pink-haired male. Everyone watched with curious eyes. "I was going to offer we both work together to carry even more food out of here."

Natsu narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "What's in it for you?" he questioned. 

Sting sighed, moving his hands to rest behind his head. "I'm a poor as hell college student who barely has money to feed myself for dinner." He flashed a nasty look at Rogue before continuing, "Rogue and Yukino won't even spare me some leftovers."

Natsu stared thoughtfully at Sting for several moments before a large grin broke out onto his lips. He raised his hand in the air and said, "Alright! Sound's good!"

Sting high-fived the other male then jumped excitedly. "Let's do it!" Both boys rushed back to the food stations to gather even more goodies to sneak out of the dining hall. 

Lucy slapped a hand to her forehead and let out an exasperated sigh. "I feel badly for whoever ends up married to either one of those kids." Gajeel shot her a questioning look but she ignored it.

-

Natsu was leaving his third class of the day which had been world history. Thankfully, it was his final lesson of the day and he was looking forward to all the food he had stocked in his fridge at home. Thanks to Sting and his combined efforts he had enough food to last him at least three days - midnight snacks included. But even though food was awesome, Natsu found himself rather bored within these past few weeks. Nothing exciting was happening on campus and no one was throwing parties due to midterms next week. Natsu was sick of it! He needed some kind of entertainment or he was going to go mad. He huffed angrily as he walked along the sidewalk beside the library. His student apartment complex was in the farthest top left corner of campus across from the soccer stadium and next to the psychology department. He kicked a pebble off of the pathway and into the road, but his gaze moved upwards and landed on the girls' dormitory. That's when the idea hit him. If there wasn't anything worthwhile going on around here, Natsu would just have to create the fun himself.

It wasn't uncommon for their group of friends to play pranks on one another or on unsuspecting students. It was kind of their way of bonding or creating drama. For this particular joke Natsu would need the help of one of the guys. Natsu had a friend, Laxus, that let him into the main science building which was across the street from the quad. The burly, blond male almost didn't let Natsu inside, knowing the idiot was up to something troublesome. However, Natsu made a promise to make it up to Laxus in any way he could. Laxus couldn't turn away a deal like that, especially when Natsu promised anything. So, much to Laxus's better judgement, he let the pink-haired flame brain inside. He didn't stick around to see what trouble Natsu was going to get into and instead went back to the chemistry project he was working on for midterms. 

Natsu easily found what he was looking for hiding away in one of the classroom's extra rooms. It was connected to the main area kind of like an attachment. Thankfully, this school didn't keep the individual classroom doors locked. He giggled to himself as he grabbed the two cages in front of him, stocked full of the little creatures and quickly exited the building. 

The girls dormitory was completely silent. It wasn't surprising, however, seeing as midterms were only next week Natsu assumed a lot of the girls inside would be studying. Which is why his prank was going to be absolutely perfect. He had stuck the cages in his backpack and left the zipper slightly opened at the top so their air wouldn't be so restricted. He hadn't actually thought about how he was going to get in the dorm, but it shouldn't be too hard. 

Natsu had to wait for a while, but a girl finally showed up who was late getting back to her room. He grabbed the door after she had put in her pin and slipped inside behind her. The RA at the desk looked at him questioningly, her long scarlet hair tied up in a high ponytail and her brown eyes narrowed at him. Oh great, Erza. Erza Scarlet was known around campus as one of the most unyielding resident assistants there had ever been in the history of Magnolia University. The girls apparently hated her and she was a stickler for rules and following them. Some even said that she was more terrifying than the death itself. 

"Can I help you?" she asked, her voice low and suspicion obvious. To Natsu, she kind of looked like a female warrior ready to slice him into shreds if he didn't give her a convincing answer. 

"Yeah," Natsu began, a frown forming on his lips. "Can I please use the restroom? Is there one nearby?"

She eyed him, looking him over once before raising an eyebrow, "you can't make it to the boys dorm?"

"I don't live there," came Natsu's simple reply. 

She folded her arms across her chest, leaning back in her chair positioned behind the front desk. "Why don't you go home then?"

"Because," Natsu huffed, trying to make his appearance look strained as if he urgently needed to take a piss, "I live in the student apartments all the way across campus and all the buildings between here and there are locked." She didn't say anything at first, so he gave her a pleading, almost desperate look, "please?"

Erza stared at him for several long moments, sizing him up and debating on whether or not she was going to believe him. Natsu could see it in her eyes. After what seemed like forever, (for a moment there Natsu really thought she was going to chase him out of the building) she let out a sigh of defeat. He tried not to whoop in victory right then and there, and instead made his face remain hard and distressed. 

"Go down this hallway on the left. Do not talk to any of the girls. If I so much as see you slip into someone's room I will castrate you and hang your genitalia on the front door," she glared at him as she said this and it sent a shiver down Natsu's spine. Her threat almost made him tuck tail and run, but he had come to far to back out now. 

Natsu nodded his thanks and bound down the hall as she instructed. Several of the dorm rooms had their doors open and girls looked at him questioningly as he passed. Natsu knew Lucy and Levy lived in this building, but they weren't safe from the prank he was going to pull. After all, they would never even know it was him. Once he found the bathroom he knocked on it to make sure no one was inside. When there was no response he slipped through the doorway. All of the stalls and showers were empty and he grinned happily to himself. He had noticed on his way down that at the end of the hallway there was a staircase. This couldn't have been better orchestrated if God himself had created this building just for the sole purpose of Natsu carrying out this joke. Natsu got down to business immediately, knowing that after his plan was carried out completely he would have to make a quick escape. 

Kneeling down on the tile floor, he pulled his backpack off of his shoulders and opened it up. Reaching inside, he lifted up the cage filled with mice. The squeaked loudly at him, apparently angry for disturbing their sleep with the bright, bathroom lights. "I know little guys, I'm sorry," he apologized sincerely, "but I have a mission for you okay? Do your best!" Without further delay, Natsu set the cage on the ground and opened the door. The mice squeaked loudly as they were set free, scattering across the floor. A few headed towards the back of the bathroom, but several spilled out into the hallway. That was Natsu's cue to leave. He zipped up his backpack and carefully slipped it back on, not wanting the harm the rest of the mice in the bag.

He stuck his head out into the hallway to see Erza staring down at something on the desk in front of her. The mice were quickly making their way to the first open door and before he got caught, Natsu quickly power-walked to the end of the hallway then flew up the stairs. As soon as he reached the second floor of the girls' dorm, he heard a high pitched scream. It was like a ripple affect. One scream started an entire chorus of terrified, shrill yells. Natsu chuckled to himself, but couldn't get distracted. His work wasn't finished yet. 

He repeated the process as he did with the first cage of mice, kneeling down at the end of the hallway. As soon as he had freed the rest of the mice loose on the second floor, Natsu took off across the stretch of the building. A few girls poked their heads out of their doors to see what the loud stomping was and immediately cried out in horror when they spotted the rodents. Just before Natsu bounded down the opposite stairwell, he spared a glance back to see girls screaming as mice crawled into their rooms and tried to squeeze under the cracks in their doors. Natsu gave a loud laugh, almost falling over but kept himself upright. He had to get out of this alive.

Natsu quickly bounded down the stairs and sprinted across the first half of the hallway The girls who were out were paying no mind to him as they were more preoccupied with screaming and throwing things at the little rodents. He peered around the corner to where the front desk rested, knowing that if Erza were there and she caught sight of him he would be dead before he had time to beg for his life. However, it would seem as if luck was on his side today. Erza was nowhere in sight, so Natsu assumed she had gone to the distressed calls of the other girls in the dorm. It was now or never. Taking one last look at the mayhem he had gleefully caused, Natsu bolted for the door never looking back until he had busted through the entrance. He ran, rounding the building and hiding behind one of the many cars in the parking lot. If Erza had seen him, she hadn't come after him. Natsu breathed a sigh of relief, but then busted into another fit out loud giggles when he could hear the girls' screams through the walls. This was going to be the talk of campus tomorrow and it was all thanks to Natsu Dragneel.

-

"You will never believe the shit that happened to us last night!" Lucy almost yelled as she huffed angrily, plopping down in her chair. Natsu was to her left and Gray, his best friend, was on his right. Across from them sat the usual suspects Gajeel, Levy, and Rogue. Sting was missing today as he had opted to skip meals in order to study for his midterm exams. Honestly, no one blamed him. They were all gathered once again in the dining hall as per usual, but this time for dinner. This was their last get together until mid semester exams were over. Natsu hated it, but he understood that most students took their grades more seriously than he did.

"You finally caught the creep that hides in the bushes in front of your dorm?" Gray asked, his head tilting. Gray was Natsu's best friend and the two had known each other for a very long time, since they were kids. But they also fought a lot. Some might think it was unhealthy, but the two were just very competitive and liked to challenge one another in just about everything they did. But they trusted the other with their lives and would do anything for each other.

Gray was dressed in a loose black tank top and baggy, dark gray jeans. His arms were nice and toned, and his dark, blueish tinted hair was in a constant state of messy. Even though it was late into fall, Gray always dressed lightly, as the cold didn't seem to bother him in the slightest. Elsa was a nickname he wasn't too fond of that his friends loved to toss his way just to get under his skin. 

Lucy blinked at Gray, who obviously had not been aware of the said creep in said bushes and gazed at him threateningly. "That isn't you is it?"

Gray rolled his eyes, leaning back in his seat and propping his arm up on the back of Natsu's chair. "No, it isn't, but you probably wish it was."

A flush flared up on Lucy's cheeks but Natsu couldn't tell if it was from anger or embarrassment. Either way, Gray seemed satisfied with the reaction as he had a lazy smirk pulling at his lips. "No, asshat," she growled out then turned her attention to the rest of the table. Natsu's eyes drifted across the others sitting around. Levy was in a dress, but it looked rather warm and was white with long sleeves so he didn't think she would be too cold. The others, Lucy included were all in jeans, (Lucy's tighter compared to the guys') and heavy coats. Natsu himself was only bundled up in his favorite white scarf and a red jacket with black jeans. Natsu had never really been one for style, but he passively wondered if he should take more care about paying attention to what he wears. 

"Someone let a bunch of rats out into the girls' dorm!" Levy shivered at the memory, a pout on her pink lips. Natsu tried so hard to not bust out laughing so he turned his head in Gray's direction, a creepy grin on his face. Gray flashed him a confused look but said nothing.

Rogue leaned forward as he spoke, his palms pressed flat against the table. "I heard about people talking about that in class today," he began, "apparently they had to call pest control at three in the morning and almost considered shutting the dorm down."

Gajeel raised a brow at this information, his arms across his chest. "Why would someone do that? Did the two of you even get any sleep?" He casted a worry glance in Levy's direction but he tried to disguise it as a look of disinterest. Natsu knew better. He was pretty sure everyone knew those two were crushing on each other, they were just too shy to actually admit it. 

Lucy shrugged her shoulders and poked her half eaten salad with her fork. "Let's just say I actually fell asleep during my first two classes of the day." Everyone looked at Lucy with wide eyes, unable to believe what she had said. 

"W-What?! Really?" Levy cried as if Lucy had announced the apocalypse was on their doorstep. "Lucy Heartfilia never sleeps in class no matter what!"

Lucy groaned, pushing her plate away. "I know, don't remind me."

Natsu chuckled at this, patting Lucy heartily on the back. "Don't worry! If rats ever attack you again you can just stay over at my place!" Natsu really meant it just as a joke, trying to keep his giggles back as he remembered the yells and curses spouting from the girls last night as if it was their mother tongue. Natsu wished more than anything that he could have seen Lucy's reaction, it would have been priceless. Lucy's flash flooded with red. Everyone who witnessed the scene just sighed heavily, annoyed at the pink-haired male's painful obliviousness. Natsu just looked around at them all with a blank expression, confused as hell.

-

The second prank had to wait until after midterms were over. Natsu had planned this right after the first one went so well. Midterms passed rather uneventfully. Thankfully, Natsu was passing all of his classes and as for his friends, they seemed to be doing well. Gray was an art major so he especially had spent a lot of time either hiding in his room or locked in the computer lab with the large 3D printer. He had several critiques due that determined whether or not he passed his classes. It sounded like a lot of work and a total drag so Natsu left his best friend alone. The plan was to be executed after midterms because that was when everyone would be looking for something fun to do to help them unwind. The first week after tests were over was the only real relaxing time students would have before they started preparing, and stressing, for finals.

The day after classes and exams were over, Natsu began putting his plan into action. He went around to all of his acquaintances and friends, spreading the word that there was going to be a party at his apartment tomorrow night. It was in celebration of them all getting through the semester so far without dying. people buzzed about excitedly, passing along the information about the much needed escape and fun. Natsu was surprised to find out Gajeel had agreed with the idea of the party when he found out. Gajeel didn't really care for surprises, but seeing as he was Natsu's flatmate, he was bound to find out about the party eventually. However, the broody man agreed that an event such as this would be just the thing needed to lift his spirits after the terrible performance on his tests. Being an engineering major was apparently not an easy thing, Gajeel had explained.

Natsu had checked the weather days in advanced, looking for the time when it was projected to be the coldest night they had so far. On this day, Thursday, it was scheduled to reach around fourteen degrees Fahrenheit around three in the morning. It was perfect. It seemed as if the prank gods had been on his side lately, but he saved his praises and worship for after his plan was successful. 

People started arriving around eleven at night and Natsu took their coats by the door. His apartment wasn't all that large but it had three bedrooms, two bathrooms, a kitchen, and a living room. There was also a blacony outside as he was on the second floor, so the place wasn't huge, but it would suffice in holding a decent number of people. The fridge had been stocked with all kinds of alcohol: beer, wine, whiskey, even supplies to make daiquiris and margaritas if someone was feeling creative. All kinds of snacks were laid out on the counter for the guests in indulge in. He had bought a lot knowing that alcohol tended to make people snack more than usual. He had supplied a large variety of potato chips, dips, pizza rolls, and a few finger foods spread out on paper plates. He also had music playing, his phone plugged into his speakers in the living room. The beat of the song made the walls pulse in a satisfying thump. The first few people who arrived were some that Natsu recognized from around campus, but no one hew knew personally. They must have been friends of friends. 

After those first few had made their way inside, the dam gates were flooded opened. People started pouring in to his apartment and Natsu stood by the door, happily greeting his guests and taking their coats, putting them in his hallway closet. When Lucy arrived with Levy in tow, she gave him a small wave. Natsu smiled happily at them and directed his words at Levy, "Gajeel is in his room if you'd like to go see him." The blue-haired girl blushed a bright red but nodded her head in thanks and slipped her way down the hall. 

"That was smooth," Lucy commented, smacking Natsu lightly on the shoulder. 

Natsu grinned wickedly, shrugging as he took more coats and directed people towards the living room. "Those two are so obvious," he replied, raising his voice slightly to be heard over the music. "They are really thick if they think no one else notices."

Lucy tilted her head and forced herself to not roll her eyes at the other's words. "Natsu, seriously," she breathed and he looked at her with a quizzical expression. It was kind of cute. "You are the last person to be able to talk about someone being oblivious."

Natsu's brows furrowed and he turned, focusing his attention fully on the girl before him. He took in Lucy's appearance. She was wearing a tight, soft blue dress that came down to the middle of her thighs. The sleeves were long but flayed out gracefully at her wrists and the cut of the dress hung low over the tops of her breasts, complimenting them. She had even accessorized by wearing a pretty silver beaded necklace with matching hoop earrings. Lucy had always been pretty in Natsu's opinion, but in that moment the air between the two of them felt charged with something he couldn't quite make out. They had been friends for a while now but for some reason, this felt different. Natsu couldn't understand what that something was and he just gazed at Lucy as she stared right back at him. Her deep brown eyes had a certain look to them. It almost seemed like longing. Natsu felt as if he was beginning to understand what Lucy meant by him and obliviousness. 

"Hey Natsu!" a voice called out to him and the moment between Lucy and himself was broken. He turned, flashing a smile as he saw Sting arriving with Rogue and Yukino right behind him. 

"Yukino!" Natsu exclaimed, stepping forward and wrapping her in a friendly hug. 

She returned the gesture, her petite figure making Natsu feel like if he squeezed her too hard she would break. "It's been too long," she smiled at him, her voice as soft and sweet sounding as always. Despite her appearance Yukino was as tough as nails. Natsu rather admired her for that. She didn't let anyone fuck her over or make her into a fool. After all, she shared an apartment with Sting and Rogue on the floor just below. She had learned quickly how to stand her ground when those two were always getting up to ridiculous shit.

Natsu laughed with a nod, "it really has! You guys should bring her around more often," Natsu said, shooting Rogue and Sting a glare. 

Sting huffed, folding his arms as Rogue spoke, "we would have, but she has been rather busy with her studies and told us that if we so much as disturbed her she would string us up to the flagpole by our underwear." Natsu looked at Yukino and she flashed him an innocent, angelic smile. It made her look even more sinister.

"Awesome!" Natsu breathed.

-

The party was going well and luckily the police hadn't been called even though the party had spilled out onto the balcony and even downstairs. Natsu didn't know this many people were going to show up but the more the merrier. He suspected the reasoning behind not getting shut down had partly to do with the fact that these were college apartments and everyone had this mutual understanding that this party was a stress reliever. That or all the apartment's tenants were already here.

Natsu mingled his way through the crowd with a beer in hand. He didn't want to get too crazy tonight. Usually, at these parties Natsu would get smashed and have fun, but he couldn't afford that right now. This was all for his prank and it was going to be perfect. All of his friends had turned up and even some he hadn't been able to talk to recently sought him out and chatted. He glanced around the crowded room, currently standing near the couch and looking out over all the guests. Gajeel and Levy had locked themselves in Gajeel's room up to God knows what (though it didn't take a rocket scientist to figure it out). Gray was lounged out on Natsu's couch, his arms draped over the back of it. At some point or another Gray had lost his shirt but this wasn't unusual behavior. Everyone knew of Gray's intense hatred of clothing. He said they made him feel trapped and stripped as soon as he was able to without getting the authorities called on him for public nudity. Next to him, looking on his half naked form with pure lust, was Juvia. Natsu had only met her a hand full of times but she apparently either wanted to bone Gray or kill him, Natsu could never tell which. She was a beautiful girl whom any number of people would gladly take to bed when she threw herself at them so blatantly. Natsu wasn't sure as to why Gray refused her, but he was sure his friend had his reasons. 

Sting and Rogue were currently having what looked to be a drinking contest at Natsu's kitchen table. Sting was slapping his hands repeatedly on the surface, his face twisted in what looked to be pain. Rogue was just silently taking shots but the expression he wore spoke volumes. It said that he wasn't going to last very much longer. Natsu wondered what they were drinking, it had to be some strong stuff. If this were just a normal party he would have made his way over there ages ago and shown them who was the real boss. He'd make a bet with them and when they lost he'd have them grovel at his feet like the king he was. 

But, alas, he could not. It was almost time to set his plan into motion. For now, he was just waiting until then. Lucy was currently talking to some people Natsu had recognized from his early as hell English class. He didn't know them personally but Lucy was laughing and seemed to be having fun. He leaned back against the wall and took another sip of the beer in his hand. People were mingling, dancing, and drinking. The sight of it just filled him with a sense of calming peace. Most people believed parties to be dangerous and unhealthy and in a way they were, but they were mostly a therapeutic outlet for students to relax and unwind. 

When the clock above his kitchen sink read 2:55 in the morning, Natsu went into action. He threw his finished beer into the trash and weaved through the crowd. He managed to slip out the front door without anyone noticing. Lucy, however, did come to find the pink-haired male's missing presence about ten minutes later. She walked over to Sting and Rogue, resting her hip against the table. Sting looked gone. His head was bobbing to one side as if it were a chore to keep it upright. Rogue was passed out, a mess of black hair and loud snoring. His face was buried into the table and his arms as if it were a comfy pillow on his bed. Lucy almost felt sorry for him. "Where's Natsu?" she asked the one of the pair who was still conscious. 

"You can't keep up with your own boyfriend?" Sting slurred. His tone almost sounded bitter, but with him being drunk Lucy couldn't tell if that distaste was directed at her or something else on his mind. This is why Lucy didn't drink more than she could handle. She didn't care if other people got smashed, but personally she liked remembering the night before. 

Lucy huffed, scowling at his attitude, "he's not my boyfriend Sting, you know that." The blond shrugged, lifting up his drink to his lips but just before it made contact with his mouth, a hand came up and covered the opening.

He whirled on the person who had dared to interfere. It was Yukino. "You've had enough," she sighed, shaking her head. It seemed as if she had dealt with this behavior before. Her expression was bleak as if she was disappointed in him.

Sting scoffed, shooting her an angry look, "I think I can decide for myself when I've hit that limit or not."

Yukino glared at him and Lucy felt a shiver chase up her spine. Yukino bent down to Sting's level and whispered something in his ear. Lucy couldn't make out what the other woman was saying, but by the way her voice hissed Lucy could tell it wasn't anything nice. Sting's eyes went wide and he nodded slowly, setting the half drunk liquid on the table. Yukino smiled, pleased. Lucy just looked on with awe wishing she could have that kind of power. It must be amazing. 

Just when Lucy was contemplating asking Yukino to train her in such an art, the fire alarm went off. It was loud and obnoxious and was met with a collective groan from the crowd. Someone shut off the music and that made the alarm even more shrill, almost hurting Lucy's ears. "Alright everyone!" a voice called out that Lucy didn't recognize, "we gotta go wait outside!"

Another moan of annoyance, but everyone did as they were told. Whether it was a false alarm or not, no one really wanted to take a chance of being suffocated by fire. It took a while to get to the door as the crowd was trying to fit through the tiny hallway and single door frame. Lucy watched as Sting, swaying on his feet from being so drunk, helped Yukino haul the still unconscious Rogue from his seat and out the door. It was kind of comedic but Lucy didn't dare laugh for fear that Yukino would shoot her one of those soul-stealing glares. 

When they got outside onto the balcony, everyone had to trudge down the stairs and stand outside. It felt as if they were all back in elementary school and were practicing for the fire drill once again. Maybe those thirty minutes hadn't been completely wasted because everyone, even drunk, knew what to do. They all faced away from the building and waited for the fire department to arrive. It was freezing outside. Actually, that was an understatement. It felt as if winter had come months early and worst of all Lucy had left her jacket inside. Her bare legs were starting to tremble and the tips of her fingers felt numb. Dammit. 

Lucy's eyes scanned the crowd around her and widened when she saw Levy's disheveled appearance. Gajeel stood beside her and had put his jacket around her shoulders but holy crap. Levy and Gajeel had definitely been up to some fun things in his room, it was practically spelled out on their faces. No wonder the door had been locked. They both had crumpled clothing, Gajeel's shirt was on inside out and Levy's purple dress had an ominous stain on the bottom left of it. Both of their faces were flushed bright red but Lucy knew it wasn't from the cold. She giggled but a part of her was glad those two were finally stopping their annoying game of cat and mouse. 

Suddenly, just when everyone had been standing outside for almost twenty minutes they all heard loud, obnoxious laughter. Confusion spread across everyone's faces. However, it quickly morphed into anger and annoyance when they spun around, facing the building once again. There, Natsu was standing on the balcony laughing his ass off. It wasn't just a casual "haha that was a funny joke," it was utterly manic giggles of glee and madness.

It took several people a while to realize what had happened, but when they did murder shone clear on their faces. This had all been some stupid prank to have them standing out here in the freezing cold! No wonder Natsu had confiscated their coats at the door. Natsu continued laughing, tears streaming down his cheeks as he looked at everyone. "You guys totally fell for it!" he cried, smacking his hand on the railing. His breaths were coming out in loud, heaving gasps as if he was choking. "Hope you don't get frostbite!" 

"You fucking asshole," Gray yelled up at the pink-haired idiot. 

"I'm gonna kick your ass!" Gajeel shouted angrily and several people made a run for the stairs with the intent to beat Natsu within an inch of his life. Honestly, Lucy wasn't surprised Natsu had pulled such a joke. It wasn't unfamiliar within their group for people to pull pranks like this, but this had been the first one in a long time and it had affected a large number of people. Natsu was lucky if he got out of this one alive. 

Suddenly, a realization hit Lucy and she almost smacked herself for not thinking of it earlier. Natsu had to have been the one who let the rats out into the girls' dorm. He wasn't only trying to prank his friends, he was trying to stir up trouble. 

When Natsu saw several people bounding up the stairs, he tucked tail and ran. He threw himself back into the safety of his apartment. He locked the door in a flash and slid down against the frame. His fit of chuckles had started up all over again as he remembered the confusion turned irritation on everyone's faces. It was priceless! The people outside banged loudly on the door demanding that he open up and get what was coming to him, but of course Natsu wasn't going to do that. Looked like Gajeel was going to have to find somewhere else to sleep for the night, but Natsu didn't think that was going to be a problem as long as Levy was around. 

The news of Natsu's prank spread all over campus and to those lucky few who weren't at the party shared the humor of Natsu's joke. It was no surprise when Natsu got the crap beat out of him the next day, but in his mind he had won and nothing anyone did to him could wash away the joy he felt from tricking half the campus into getting punked. Natsu had so much fun that he was sure this wasn't going to be the last time he would play a prank like this. Maybe it was time to bring the old traditions of his group back into full swing. They were long overdue.


End file.
